Victoria Ward
Prince George has become a teenager, with his family releasing a new portrait of the future king to mark his 13th birthday.
The prince is pictured smiling at Kensington Palace in the portrait taken by photographer Matt Porteous just after Trooping the Colour last month.
It was accompanied by the message: “Happy 13th Birthday, George!”
George was born at 4.24pm on July 22, 2013, in the private Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London.
At the time, he was styled His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge and was third in line to the throne.
In the intervening years, he has been joined by two siblings – Princess Charlotte, now 11, and Prince Louis, 8 – and has nudged up the line of succession.
As he turns 13, George is preparing for a new chapter, having completed four happy years at his prep school, Lambrook, in Berkshire.
On September 8, he will join the ranks of about 260 new boys in “F-Block” – otherwise known as year 9 – at Eton College.
It will be a different life for the Prince, who will live away from home for the first time, even if it is just a 10-minute drive from the family home in Windsor.
Like the other boys, he will have his own private room and will probably be given a “brick phone” to stay in touch with his family.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have gradually introduced their elder son to royal duties while simultaneously ensuring he enjoys a normal childhood out of the public eye.
He was last seen in public alongside his parents and sister at Wimbledon, where he watched the men’s singles final and was introduced to new British tennis star Arthur Fery.
Last month, the second in line to the throne, who is said to be obsessed with planes and has taken flying lessons, joined his mother at RAF Coningsby to mark Armed Forces Day, learning about the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
He was also recently pictured with his family during the annual Trooping the Colour celebration and at the base of Snowdon, following the princess’s successful completion of the Three Peaks Challenge.
George is often described as a thoughtful, somewhat shy, boy who enjoys many sports and is particularly good at art.
Last year, during a visit to the Women’s Institute in Sunningdale, Berkshire, Prince William reflected on the different characters of his children.
Asked whether Prince Louis was “a handful”, he admitted he was a “character” before adding with a laugh: “When George is behind closed doors it’s a completely different ballgame. George just knows how to behave, that’s the difference.”
The Telegraph, London
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